Whether you’re right-brained or left-brained, a scientist who follows every recipe to the pinch or an artist who tosses this spice and that into the pot, you can learn to tweak recipes to make them healthier.

If you love cooking with whole foods but miss your old favorites, this book is for you.

Better Than a Box is more than just a recipe book – it’s a tutorial in real food cooking, reverse engineering processed foods, and creative recipe development.

In the first 100 pages, you’ll learn step-by-step processes to transform your own family-favorite recipes by ditching the boxes and cans and using 100% real food. Through demonstrations of successful recipe remakes and the extensive section of basic recipes, your “Reverse Engineering” toolbox will be well stocked, and you’ll be inspired to take courage in the kitchen.

We leave no can of cream of mushroom untouched.

No box of Stovetop Stuffing is safe.

Buy now to get access to Better Than a Box plus ten additional bonuses, including the Kindle and Nook files, printable recipe cards and Plan to Eat integration.

Welcome to my Kitchen

I’d like to invite you into my busy real food kitchen, where I took a moment away from making dinner for my family to talk about Better Than a Box:

You also have the option of purchasing a paperback copy of the book on Amazon!

“This Book Changed My Life”

I keep this email in my inbox because it makes my day every time I see that subject line. When I cook, when I teach…it’s not just about the food and the flavors. It’s really, in a small, humble way, about changing lives. I’m proud to be a part of your journey…

I downloaded Better Than A Box onto my Kindle months ago but… at the time I thought it was just a cookbook, so I’d just skim a few recipes and move on. Then I actually opened the book. Wow. I couldn’t put it down!I loved your lessons in reverse engineering and your friendly and encouraging tone as you described your processes and pushed me to experiment. I’ve always been a “glued-to-the-recipe” cook, but since I’ve read your advice I’ve felt so much freer to take chances in the kitchen.

The other night I decided to make cheesy vegetables loosely based on your cheese sauce instructions. Out of key ingredients, I thought to myself, “Katie says I can do this – I’ll just improvise.” I mixed in some water, a bit of this and a bit of that, thickened it up, mixed in the frozen veggies, and added a couple handfuls of mozzarella cheese cause “cheese makes everything better.” Even my pickiest kid ate multiple serving of the “creamy vegetables!”

The more I realize how much easier these little steps simplify my life, the more motivated I become to do them…Thank you for empowering me to experiment in the kitchen and enjoy the adventure. I’ve been telling everyone around me about this great cookbook I’ve been reading (maybe I should start saying textbook).

Thank you again for inspiring me and bringing joy back to my kitchen.
Blessings, Amy

What’s in Better Than a Box? More Than Just Copycat Recipes.

20 Reverse Engineering 101 “lab” demonstrations of how I got the processed foods out of favorite recipes and transformed them to whole foods; three of those are Create-your-own 101 with advanced techniques for writing your own recipe from scratch.

These recipes are on printable recipe cards, available as a bonus with the premium package…

25 Ready-to-Cook Recipes, where I’ve done the work for you and you can just pull the recipes out and plan for dinner without having to think through anything. They include prep foods so you know what you need to have prepared, allergy-friendly notes and a section on each one called “Get Kids Involved” to give you courage to invite your little helpers into the kitchen. Including…

Dad’s Cheeseburger Helper (pictured below)

2 Rice-a-Roni Substitutes

Grandma’s Tuna Noodle Casserole

Chicken Pot Pie and Not Pie

Homemade Chicken Nuggets

Homemade Chocolate Syrup

…and much more!

If you can’t see the preview above, click HERE to view it in a separate window. The full table of contents is also available after the FAQs at the very end of this page.

Homemade Hamburger Helper Copycat Recipe

price: $16.95

You also have the option of purchasing a paperback copy of the book on Amazon!

Premium Package Includes:

When you purchase Better Than a Box here at Kitchen Stewardship, you automatically get the entire Premium Package:

PDF downloadable eBook, Better Than a Box (218 pages + TEN bonuses)

Better Than a Box IS available in print as well, but not as part of this package. View the print book on Amazon right here.

What About Food Allergies/Dietary Restrictions?

The sticking point for dairy is the cream sauce – which I understand can be made dairy-free, and there are adaptations in the book, but I still don’t count each recipe as dairy-free because I haven’t tried them all myself.

Vegetarian: 28 of the 35 “remake resource” recipes that have no meat. In the end section, only 8 of the 25 have no meat, but in 10 others, the meat is ground beef or shredded chicken added to a sauce/pasta/rice. One could cut it out or sub with a vegetarian option.

Eggs and nuts make rare appearances

Ultimately, the first 100 pages are a teaching section that anyone can use to learn techniques from, and the latter half is filled with the recipes. Better Than a Box would still be appropriate for any food allergy.

Satisfaction Guaranteed

If you are disappointed in the book for any reason, including that you can’t find enough recipes to fit a dietary restriction, I will refund your money without hesitation. Just email me!

FAQs

Not at all. A PDF can be opened on any computer or mobile device. You’ll need Acrobat Reader, which you can download for free right HERE. Don’t forget to save it to your hard drive once you open it.

2. How do I load the files to other mobile devices?

On most tablets, you should be able to download the PDF files directly to your device by clicking on the links in your email confirmation from your tablet. For e-readers and tablets that don’t support file download, simply download the files on your computer and then transfer them via USB cord to your device. **Be sure to read your manual about how to connect and disconnect cords. I cannot be liable if something goes wrong.

3. Can I print the recipes?

Yes! Once the PDF is open on your computer, you can choose just a few pages to print when you find a recipe you want to make. I keep the photos off the recipe pages so you don’t have to waste expensive ink. The document is even formatted so that you can print back to front to save paper, and you’ll be able to put them into a 3-ring binder.

If you love a “real” book, Better Than a Box is available at Amazon HERE.

4. I can’t see the buy button. What do I do?

Your device needs javascript enabled to see the buy button. If it’s not working and you’ve tried a mobile device and a regular computer, you can just Paypal the cost of the book to kitchenstew at gmail dot come and send me a quick email telling me what it’s for. I’ll deliver your files myself! You can also try clicking HERE to add to cart.

5. It looks like a blank page when I download. Where’s the book?

When you click the download link, it looks like a blank page, but the eBook is actually downloading in the background. It will go into a “temp” file that may or may not automatically open up for you, depending on your browser settings. Click on your Firefox/Internet Explorer/Chrome icon at the bottom of your screen, and there is probably a new window downloading the book.

What an awesome idea! I’m totally honored. A lot of the emailing stuff is all automatic, so the easiest thing to do is just forward the download links when you get them. Then you can explain to your friend what the gift is, etc. Thanks so much!

Like with a real book, one book is one book, so if you want a book to keep and a book to give, please purchase two copies.

Full Table of Contents

Here is the table of contents from Better Than a Box:

{Introduction}
The Bad News
Why Reverse Engineering?
My First Reverse Engineering Meal
A Community Effort
What Will I Learn in Better Than a Box?

{Section One} Reverse Engineering 101: How to Look at a Recipe and Make it Yours

4 Bites of Conversation So Far

I just received Better Than a Box on Build-Your-Bundle. This book is just what my customers will need to help them get started cooking with better ingredients. We’re opening a store next month in Eldon, MO featuring local produce, grass fed, antibiotic free meat, and bulk foods–the one’s without all the added junk! Is there a wholesale option to buy the printed books?

Hi Rebecca! That totally makes my day that you enjoyed the book so much already! We can absolutely figure out wholesale for you – I have books in a couple shops in my hometown as well. I’ll email you with some details, and thank you again! 🙂 Katie

Could you send me some helpful information please? I have the book Better Than A Box. In it is the recipe for Southern Banana Pudding. I have tried twice so far to get the pudding base to turn out properly and it won’t. It keeps looking like it will set up and then it is in the refridgerator overnight and goes back to liquid. What am I doing wrong?

Hi Beth Ann! It’s been forever since I made that recipe – just no time for desserts lately – but I wonder if I can guess. Were the bananas in the pudding when it was setting up? I wonder if they interfered with it. Otherwise, did you use all the ingredients exactly as written? What thickener (starch) did you use? Thanks! 🙂 Katie

Please remember that I’m just a gal who reads a lot and spends way too much time in her kitchen. I’m not a doctor, nurse, scientist, or even a real chef, and certainly the FDA hasn't evaluated anything on this blog. Any products mentioned are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Please talk to your health professional (or at least your spouse) before doing anything you might think is questionable. Trust your own judgment…I can’t be liable for problems that occur from bad decisions you make based on content found here.

Some posts on this blog contain affiliate links which generate commission if you purchase anything starting with those links. KS also accepts private sponsorships and we are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. More info here.